7:05pm: The Padres have announced the move, with Johnson’s IL placement being retroactive to April 21.
6:20pm: Padres manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including Dennis Lin of The Athletic, that right-hander Pierce Johnson is going on the injured list with elbow tendinitis. Lefty Ray Kerr will be recalled to take his spot on the roster.
After an excellent stint in Japan in 2019, Johnson was signed by the Padres to a two-year deal with a club option for 2022. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Johnson provided the Friars with 78 2/3 innings, with a 3.09 ERA, 32.1% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate. With that quality production, it was a fairly easy decision for the Padres to pick up Johnson’s $3MM option instead of the $1MM buyout. He’s thrown six innings in the young season so far, with 11 strikeouts, four walks and three earned runs. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune relays word from the club that Johnson had already been battling the issue for a week and the club is hoping for a minimum 10-day absence.
Kerr was an undrafted free agent signee of the Mariners in 2017 and showed enough promise in the minors to be added to the club’s 40-man roster in November. Just over a week later, he was traded to the Padres as part of the Adam Frazier deal. He began his professional career as a two-way player but has focused more on pitching, garnering attention for his ability to reach triple-digit velocity. In 4 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far this year, he’s struck out six but also walked six, leading to four earned runs. He’ll make his major league debut as soon as he gets the call to take the hill. Taylor Rogers and Tim Hill are the other lefties in the bullpen, though Rogers has been serving as the team’s closer since coming over in a trade with the Twins. That means Kerr and Hill will be the two arms available for situations where a southpaw would be preferred.
Pierce Johnson and no Prince Albert jokes?
Pens are hard to bottom-line but I’ve liked the Padres pens of the past few years better than I do today
* Do love me some Taylor Rodger’s tho
Another Padres pitcher with an arm issue. Shocker.
You must be a Dodger fan trying to distract us from Treinen
The Dodgers are winning 100 games with or without Treinen
Good enough for 2nd place again?
I love the over confidence
Regardless of who he/she supports, they’re not wrong. We’ve had a lot of arm issues over the past few years and it is certainly worrying.
Nope. I’ve been a Padre fan for 40+ years. I would jump off the Coronado bridge before ever rooting for the blowholes two hours north of here.
EJS, my humble apology! Yeah the arms are fragile…short ST can’t help either.
Absolutely no worries, Brew. I’ve been called worse…but that’s a very close second. With all the access to some the best medical minds in the world at UCSD, it always baffles me how the Pads struggle to keep their arms from falling off.
Latest on Pierce is that the team wants to utilize the 10-day IL before May, when it becomes 15-day. Apparently, his tendinitis is very minor
Get well soon Dick Ring
Who are they going to get to play 007?
Can Pierce Brosnan throw triple digits? I might be asking for a friend… and maybe we just found Ray Kerr’s new nickname, MoonRayKerr? Our Pen is shaken but not stirred. Cheers Clip!
I’m not sure, he’s got to be close, probably in his 70s now, right? Not too much longer & he will be triple digits…
If Austin Nola could only hit for Powers
Lol, very nice… I’m diggin’ the Austin Powers ref too!
Now all we need is for Dan Vogelbach to voice, “Get in my belly!” while licking excess BBQ off his face & staring at Jose Altuve…
It’s always been so weird to me how kids who’ve never been called up, are referred to as being recalled..I get why it’s that way..but the wording will always be ridiculous to me..Welcome to the show RK!
Too bad Ray Kerr doesn’t swing the bat anymore, perfect name for a bopper. Welcome to the Show, Ray!
Eventually all padres will spend time on the IL. It’s a tradition in San Diego
Initials RAK always looked good on a Padre uni!
My older brother had a RAK “I’ve never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life” bumpersticker on his VW van in ‘75
“Theres more future in hamburgers than baseball”
What a Kroc he was